Every step of the way
By BARTON HORVATH World’s Foremost Weight Training Authority
If all the bodybuilders in the world met in one giant auditorium and by mutual consent e-elected to discuss only one phase of bodybuilding, “How to gain weight”, would be that topic.
There is more interest in gaining muscular bodyweight than all other subjects combined. It is fitting, therefore, that in its debut, Muscle Man Magazine reveals everything you need to know about gaining in the following text.
WHO CAN GAIN WEIGHT: Based on my 30 years in the bodybuilding game, during which time I have personally supervised the training of thousands, I say that EVERYONE who is underweight with the exception of Medical cases, can, and will, gain weight as a result of scientific weight training.
HOW MUCH CAN YOU GAIN: The amount you can gain is directly controlled by your degree of underweight, your height and your bone structure. A short man standing 5′ tall will weigh between 125 and 140 pounds when fully developed. At 5’4″, muscular body-weight will vary between 150 and 170 pounds. At 5’8″, 175 to 200pounds. Above 5’8′, limitations on bodyweight depend solely on how much more than 200 pounds the individual can carry without showing signs of soft bulk.
HOW FAST WILL YOU GAIN: It is not possible to accurately predict the speed with which all beginners will gain. Some gain weight quickly right from the start and keep gaining until they have reached a husky bodyweight. Others gain less slowly. Still others lose a few pounds the first week or so before they start gaining. Initial reaction to weight gaining methods are extremely variable. They are also no indication of future potential. A slow gainer may eventually catch up to, and go beyond, another bodybuilder who gained quickly at the start and then slowed down. As long as each month shows some bodyweight increase the methods you are following are correct for you and in time will produce all the results you want.
WHAT ABOUT FOOD SUPPLEMENTS: There can be no question about the benefits of food supplements. Protein, weight gaining preparations and wheat germ oil have all been proved valuable in thousands and thousands of authenticated cases. The underweight bodybuilder who supplements his diet increases his chances of gaining weight faster.
WHICH FOODS ARE BEST: The average American diet is high in calories. There are some 60 million citizens who are overweight based on good health standards. These overweight people shop in the usual stores, prepare food in much the manner as you and when they eat out, they patronize the same type resturarants. Impartially analyzed, it becomes a matter of ‘quantity’ more so than ‘choice’. They either eat more at regular meals or they eat more frequently. In this way they obtain more calories daily and they gain weight.
It is not necessary, therefore, for you to make any major changes in your diet. Eat as you always have, but try to eat a bit more. If you lack appetite, take HEFT daily. You can also enjoy a few light ‘between meals’ snacks. A glass of milk and a few crackers mid-afternoon and shortly before retiring will not overburden the digestive system and will supply important extra weight gaining calories.
ABOUT REST AND RELAXATION: 24 hours a day, during waking hours and sleep, the body is burning fuel in the form of calories. Consumption is greatest during periods of physical activity; least during sleep. It is imperative that the underweight bodybuilder obtain 8 hours sleep nightly.
WON’T I LOSE MORE WEIGHT IF I EXERCISE: A work out with weights actually consumes less calories than a leisurely walk. It is broken into short periods of exercise during which a proportionately large number of calories are utilized and periods of rest, when a comparatively small number of calories are used. The overall consumption is less than an uninterrupted walk. In addition, bodybuilding soon tones the muscles and the organs, creating a condition of increased efficiency. The bodybuilder sleeps more soundly, benefits more fully from food eaten and learns how to work and exercise with greatest physical economy. His workouts, therefore, actually result in a consevation and building of energy. The untrained individual wastes his storehouse of energy and for that reason he remains thin.
WHAT ARE THE BEST WEIGHT GAINING EXERCISE: Every scientific weight gaining program is centered around ‘basic’ exercises. These are movements which stimulate large muscle areas and which produce growth receptiveness. The exercises explained here are typical ‘basic’ or weight gaining movements.
LAY OFFS: If you feel tired and if usual weights feel heavy, miss the next work out. As long as lay offs are not taken more than once a month, they are refreshing and helpful to weight gaining.
THE EXERCISES: Follow the exercises in the sequence listed. Do not perform any others. Do not train between regular work out days. Try to get as much rest as practical when not training. Make a sincere effort to gradually step up your caloric intake. If appetite is lazy, take HEFT daily.
HOW ARE THE EXERCISES TO BE PERFORMED: Three times a week training is best for the underweight bodybuilder. Work outs should be thorough, but not exhausting. Moderately heavy poundages should be used and they should be regularly increased in keeping with added strength and bodyweight. Repetitions should be on the low side — about 8 each exercise. From one to three sets of each exercise are to be performed dependent on the experience of the bodybuilder. Slight muscular soreness should follow each exercise period. Soreness should leave before next training session.
1 – Bench Press. Lie on a flat exercise bench with a barbell held at arm’s length above the chest as shown in illustration #1. Take a deep breath and lower barbell to the chest. Press barbell to arm’s length, exhaling while doingso and repeat.
2 – Bent Arm Pullover. Hold barbell at chest as shown in illustration #2. Raise barbell a few inches to clear face and while taking a deep breath lower to behind the head. Draw barbell to starting position, exhaling while doing so and repeat.
3 – Lying Laterals. Hold a pair of dumbbells above the chest. Take a deep breath and lower them to the sides as shown in illustration #3. Exhale and draw weights to arm’s length above the chest.
4 – Shrugs. Hold a barbell in the hands as shown in illustration #4. Pull shoulders up to ears. Lower and repeat.
5 – Bent Forward Rowing. Hold a barbell at arm’s stretch toward the floor. Take a deep breath and pull barbell up toward chest as shown in illustration #5. Lower weight to arm stretch, exhaling while doing so and repeat.
6 – Barbell Curl. Hold a barbell in the hands, palms front bar at the thigh. Take a deep breath and curl the barbell to the shoulders as shown in illustration #6. Exhale and lower barbell to the starting position. Repeat.
7 – Triceps Press. Hold a barbell behind the head, elbows raised as shown in illustration#7. Straighten the arms and raise the barbell to arm’s length above the face. Lower to the starting position. Repeat.
8 – Squats. Hold a barbell across the rear shoulders while standing erect. Take a deep breath and sink into a low squat position as shown in illustration #8. Return to an erect position, exhaling while doing so and repeat.
9 – Side Bends. Hold a dumbbell in one hand and bend over directly to one side as shown in illustration #9. Draw the body to an erect position and repeat. Exercise one side and after a short rest exercise the other.
MENTAL APPROACH: A defeatist attitude should not be tolerated. This is true whether your aim is to gain weight, get ahead in your job or to win the girl of your choice. Confidence is infectious—build up an inner drive and a power of determination. Vow that nothing can hold you back. If you do, you will succeed. If you do not, you are doomed to failure. Always remember these truths!
